Today’s question is from Christina:
I am interested in whitening my teeth and would love to know the best ways to save on teeth whitening. I have never had professional whitening done — is it worth the cost? Also, are the home whitening kits effective? -Christina
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Toothpaste made out of coconut oil and baking soda. My teeth are white, my sons teeth are white and his dentist marveled over them. Plus a friend of mine has white teeth for the first time in decades due to heath issue, her family can believe how white her teeth are. check out the recipe here: http://blissandlife.blogspot.com/2012/05/diy-toothpaste.html
I would also like to point out that hydrogen peroxide is a known carcinogen when used as an oral rinse. Please be careful doing that, it’s not a good idea!
I’m currently attending dental school and I would suggest that any of you that have a local Dental School near you to visit there for all of your dental needs. The cost is usually 1/2-1/3 of a general dentist out in private practice. They can provide you with prescription strength tooth whitening gel and trays.
The ADA also suggests that you take your kids to the dentist at 12 months of age or 6 months after their first tooth erupts. Just a fun fact for all the mommies out there!!
My dentist told me to pour a little peroxide on my toothbrush after brushing and brush it over my teeth. They stay very white and is easy on the wallet!
Keep an eye out in the junk stores. We found some Crest White Strips at a local discount store for $3-$4 a box.
I have only tried white strips once a long time ago. I use crest toothpaste and recently got a deal on the new 3d vivid white. I like it and after a couple uses, I got commented on how white my teeth were. My grandma asked what I had done because my teeth looked so white.
Our local Dollar Tree has the Natural White 5 Minute Whitening kits for $1….can’t get much more frugal than that…seems to be the same basic stuff that is in the crest whitestrips I’ve used…has the gel in a tube and a mouthpiece you apply the gel to and then hold in place using your teeth…I’ve been happy with the results I’ve gotten so far.
Thanks for all the advice. Sounds like Crest White Strips can be an effective, frugal option. I am a little worried about sensitivity since I already have that problem. I think the most interesting advice on here is the oil pulling. I am totally willing to give that a try!
I work at a dentist office. Please do not put lemon juice or straight peroxide on your teeth. Pola is a good in- office whitening. It does cost a little over 300.00 but at our office if you keep your regular hygiene appointments you get free pola maintenance whitening for life. Crest strips work well too. Crest 3D is great for toothpaste, Ask your dentist, most offices have some sort of whitening special. Also, it’s OK to want whiter teeth.
I work part-time as a dental assistant and would NOT recommend whitening your teeth. Most people experience varying degrees of sensitivity after whitening their teeth. I know I used Crest White strips once in college and it made my teeth very sensitive for years! Trust me it is not worth it! Avoiding coffee, tea, and soda will improve the whiteness of your teeth.
I eat natural, unprocessed foods and my teeth have never been whiter. I also occasionally rinse with peroxide.
Please look into this article by Dr Ellie. I have used her suggestions with much success.
http://drecoaching.wordpress.com/2012/06/15/the-dark-side-of-whitening/
Oil pulling (Google it) with coconut oil. No chemicals, cheap, works great! I was surprised how effective it has been.
Those of you who “oil pull”…I’m intrigued…and skeptical…and grossed out. How do you keep swishing something for 15-20 min….that just seems like it would make you want to throw up! Have any of you really used this method or just sharing what you’ve heard?
Hi Tracy. I actually do it; at least for me, it’s not hearsay. At first I would swish while I was busy checking the internet in the morning. Then someone suggested oil pulling while in the shower. That worked much better, I’ve found. I keep a little jar of coconut oil in the shower now. It is fascinating-yet-gross/gross-yet-fascinating to see for yourself the color change in the oil.
I’ve been oil pulling for about 10 days. I find that I don’t taste the coconut oil at all. It’s not hard to keep it in and swish, but it did take a couple of tries to grt the hang of it. It makes my mouth feel really clean.
I am a dental hygienist and I am often asked this question. First of all, in-office whitening such as ZOOM, Tres White, and etc. are marked up big time! I suggest using a whitening toothpaste and then reduce your coffee, tea, soda, or wine intake drastically. You will see a difference. Furthermore, I do get worried about people suggesting peroxide rinses because this tends to dry out the mouth. All in all Crest Whitening strips do work but just take a little longer than in-office whitening. Just remember don’t whiten lighter than the color of your eyes. Too white just looks weird and makes your teeth extremely sensative. Good luck.
My dentist also provides free whitening w/ gel and trays for life as long as you have twice yearly cleanings. They also suggest using Sensodyne for two weeks prior to whitening to keep your teeth from becoming sensitive.
I work for a Dentist, and if you want to save in the long run, go with a Dentist whiting kit. The gel works faster and flows around all the curves of your teeth much better. The strips do not and leaves your teeth darker on the sides and up by the gum line. We have had patients use the crest strips for months and still be unhappy. They comment that with the money they spent on the strips they should of spent the money on the Dentist kits.
I bought professional grade white strips off of ebay (they are a LOT more concentrated than the kind you buy at the store) and had great results with them, and got them relatively inexpensively $40-$60 dollars.
Swish daily with hydrogen peroxide in for 5 minutes
Oil pulling (Google it)
My coworker swears by Peroxide and she has the whitest teeth I’ve ever seen. So affordable too.
i havent tried this, but heard it works well..make a paste of baking soda and mashed strawberries..brush it on like toothpaste and let it sit for 5 minutes. rinse and repeat every 4 months. (although it would be annoying to hold it in your mouth for that long, its nearly free if you already have the items in the kitchen)..peroxide tends to make teeth sensitive, so this may be an option if you already have sensitive teeth.
Google “oil pulling”. It sounds gross, but it works.
The crest white strips professional white strips work much better (in my opinion) that just the regular crest white strips you can buy anywhere. They are sold on amazon for around $40-$50 last I checked. I have very noticeable whitening within a week. Do NOT buy those 2 hour express white strips they are horrible, the day after I did them my teeth hurt really really bad for the whole day, and I didnt really see that they were any whiter.
I was just at my kids’ dentist today and asked him this very question for my own benefit. I’ve done the tray bleaching in the past but, dang, it HURT. The results were nice though!
Anyways – today my kids’ dentist said the same thing as many of you – Crest white strips work great. He said you might have to work a little to get them in the grooves where your teeth meet whereas the gel goes right in.
So – I think I am going to pick up a pack next time I’m at the store 🙂
Thanks also to everyone who has posted – I enjoy all of the different perspectives on this 🙂
I like to use the Colgate Optic white toothpaste. It works great and doesn’t cause my teeth to become sensetive to hot and cold like the strips do. Plus it’s just part of my daily routine,although it does take longer to get results. It works great to maintain a bright white smile.
I like Crest White Strips. Personally, they make my teeth pretty sensitive if I use them every day, so I spread them out and do one every two or three days, rather than every day (or even twice) a day as the directions suggest. It takes a little longer (I think the box I’ve used is for 7 days, so it ends up taking two or three weeks instead), but it keeps my teeth from hurting. I’ve done it once or twice over the past five or so years and I think it really helps, for a relatively small amount of money – $20 or 30 with a coupon!
Coconut Oil. 🙂 You can google all the amazing health benefits too many to mention BUT Teeth whitening is also included as well.
I will have to try this..we have coconut oil 🙂
My sister is a dental hygienest and what she recommends to all of her patients is brushing with baking soda. I have sensitive teeth so I use a very small dab of sensodyne toothpaste and dip that in baking soda. I have had many people comment on how white my teeth are. It wouldn’t hurt to rinse with peroxide.
Be careful!! Our son’s fiance damaged her enamel when she was a teenager and will have to live with very sensitive teeth forever. She is often in pain when she eats and has a hard time with hot and cold and sugar is very painful for her.
Protect your enamel! Peroxide and lemon juice are very acidic and baking soda is very harsh. All will easily damage your protective enamel, making your teeth very sensitive and more prone to staining. I instead use xylitol and love how clean and bright my teeth are. Dr. Ellie is a great resource for oral health questions: http://askdrellie.blogspot.com/
My grandmother brushed her teeth with baking soda all her life. When she passed at age 92, she still had all her own teeth.
Lots of toothpastes are made with baking soda and peroxide. The only toothpaste that my husband can use is Mentadent (Arm & Hammer) baking soda and peroxide. The others irritate his gums. One tube has the baking soda paste. The other side has the peroxide paste. You pump it and the two come together.
H2O2 is a weak acid, not strong. Pure H2O2 is at 6.2, diluted at 60% is about 4.5
I’ve tried several different brands of whitening toothpaste (thanks to the drug store deals) and I’ve found that my favorite is Luster 7. It’s very gently yet effective at whitening, and this is even using a pea-sized amount (literally) and only in the morning (I didn’t want to go harsh on my teeth and lose the enamel). When the tube is gone, I used Crest 3D White. I’ve found that the Crest doesn’t really “whiten” my teeth, but rather is better at keeping daily stains away… which makes them appear whiter. The Luster actually does whiten and alternating between the two keeps my teeth white and pretty.
By the way, I do brush my teeth at night too, but I just use whatever non-whitening toothpaste I have handy.
I am a dental hygienist (now SAHM) and the in office whitening systems are great but marked up big time. I have found that the Crest white strips work well for the value. There are certain types of stains (intrinsic)that do not bleach out. Also, every one will whiten to a different level. Some people just will not get that super white no matter what they do. Alot depends on the natural shade of your teeth. Whatever you choose to do, PLEASE DO NOT use Hydrogen Peroxide directly on your teeth. Strawberries will whiten your teeth some as well but the acid will break down your enamel. Lemon juice will also cause enamel erosion which may lead to caries, sensitivity, etc in the future. Hope this helps!
Could you explain why hydrogen peroxide is a bad idea?
When hydrogen peroxide comes in contact with your oral tissues it causes free radical reactions. These are the same reactions that age living tissues. Also, it will dry your mouth out like the other RDH noted. Your oral cavity is composed of good bacteria and bad bacteria-acids and bases. Yes, there are plenty of “home remedies” that will whiten your teeth a bit but you run the risk of disrupting your oral flora, weakening your enamel or drying your mouth out. These are all things thay may pose problems in the future and cost you more down the line.
I’m confused.
You like Crest White Strips but discourage using H2O2 directly on the teeth.
The main ingredient of the White Strips that go directly on the teeth is in fact H2O2.
A dentist in our area was opening an new office… we got a flyer in the mail for an intro offer for free teeth whitening as a new patient. They did the trays and give you the whitening stuff (which you can get more of for about $30.00)… Not bad for free! My dental visit was already covered by our insurance.
Brush with baking soda and rinse with peroxide. You might want to use one in the AM and one in the PM; some people are sensitive to the combination.
I asked my dentist about teeth whitening before my wedding and he told me, first, that he does not offer cosmetic whitening because it can be hard on teeth and that it is mainly offered as a money-maker for dentists, rather than a necessary service for patients. Also, he did not recommend the Crest (etc.) White strips because while they DO work, the stains will eventually, over time, re-settle on your teeth and they could be darker than before! I do use a whitening toothpaste from time to time and have learned to be happy with the teeth God gave me.
You must have wonderful teeth…:-)
We (my teenaged daughter and I) used the crest white strips last year with success. We were able to get them reasonably with coupons and ECBs. Now I try to keep crest 3d white toothpaste in our house because, as long as we use that, we don’t see any reason to buy more of the strips. I’ve also heard that sometimes you can get a great deal if you happen to have a school in your area that trains/certifies dental hygenists (sp?)–my niece did that a couple months ago for less than $100. There was a licensed dentist on site, and all the trainees/students were very well supervised and educated. If you’re interested in professional whitening, that seems like a relatively affordable option.
My dental hygienest told me to use peroxide as a rinse daily. She said it works just as good as having a treatment done in office- and it’s a whole lot cheaper. I would never pay to have the treatment done, but peroxide is so cheap why wouldn’t you do it. It makes your mouth feel all bubbly but it works!
The thing that would worry me is if it’s enamel safe. That’s my biggest concern if i use peroxide will it destroy my enamel?
Check with your dentist! Our dentist was running a free whitening promotion to bring in more business. I’ve seen other dentists do this too. It may depend on the dentists in your area, but it is worth checking into. We’ve gotten free whitenings from our dentist and all we had to do was ask.
If you have several dentists in your area, call around!
I know that stuff can be pretty pricey, so I go the cheap way. I get compliments very often on how white my teeth are, and all I do is use peroxide. Right before I brush my teeth, I dip a q-tip in peroxide and rub it on my teeth, then brush! It takes a few weeks, but it really does work 🙂 Wish I could show a picture to prove it haha
I too had great success with the crest white strips.
Crystal, I’m having some trouble with your blog. Every time I try to click to see other people’s comments, the page that comes up is where it is letting me leave a comment. I can’t get to the page with others’ comments. I understand that it could be something that I am doing, but either way (my error or website’s error), I can’t figure it out. Can you help?
Did it just start doing this?
When I click on “Comments” it pulls up the comments for me. What browser are you using?
I’m sorry you’re having issues!
Try cleaning out your cookies, and clear up your space on the hard drive. That may help. And do a virus scan too on your computer.
I tried to see something yesterday too and it did it. But, now I can see the comments. Thanks for the reply.
Our local dentist offers free teeth whitening when you have 2 check ups a year 🙂 I would call it rather cost effective! And we love our dentist!
Wow, that’s really nice!
Activated charcoal. Just put it on top of your normal toothpaste.
As a nurse I’m laughing hysterically at this! Black teeth… how beautiful!
HaHA…you know someone might actually do it…
This is actually a great idea. Activated charcoal is an absorbant and removes stains on teeth.
http://www.ehow.com/about_5180388_activated-charcoal-remedies.html
I am an ER nurse, and this makes me crack up, too! We give straws to patients that have to drink it so it doesn’t stain their teeth! I guess it sort-of makes sense. Not sure I would try it, though!
I’ve used activated charcoal I put some on top of my toothpaste and brush away! It feels gritty, and looks gross while you are brushing. But,hey,if it works, do it!
This is not something I choose to spend money on. A dental checkup twice a year with a good teeth cleaning and i’m fine. Paid for by my dental insurance. The rest is cosmetic.
We use diluted 35% food-grade hydrogen peroxide. It works.
White teeth, clean brushes, healthy family = low cost luxury living!
I’m going to try it!
What ratio did you use for diluting it? Did you apply it or use it like a mouthwash? Thank you!
check your local deal sites like groupon. My sister in-law got a deal for professional whitening at a fraction of the cost through a local deal site in our area.
a little baking soda and lemon juice will get rid of your basic coffee stains 🙂
Most dentists will tell you to never rub lemon juice on your teeth or suck on a lemon wedge – the acid can be very hard on your teeth.
Yup, definitely don’t use it all over, just a dab where the stains are every once in awhile. Thanks for clarifying (eww, sucking on a lemon wedge sounds gross :)).
I have been a dental professional for 15 years. Please NEVER NEVER use a lemon in any way as described above. Lemon will erode the precious enamel on your teeth. Thin enamel (that acid has eaten away or thinned significantly) will make your teeth appear transparent or yellowish! No lemon!!
Was suggested by Dr. Oz:
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/natural-teeth-whitening-solutions
He says not to use it longer than a minute, so as to avoid erosion.
Ahhh, Dr. Oz is a wonderful cardiologist, but he’s not a dentist. 🙂 Unfortunately, a lot of the “dental knowledge” that he speaks of is incorrect. Sorry.
I did the Zoom whitening from the dentist a couple years back and it was so painful! It was also around $400.
I also had the Zoom whitening done, and I agree that it was VERY painful!
I worked for a dental office and the dentist I worked for suggested crest whitening strips.
I recently heard you could just swish with hydrogen peroxide (an active ingredient in those more expensive whitening strips) like you would mouthwash. Just be sure not to swallow! I haven’t tried it myself but do have a friend who has had great results.
Yup…you can actually use straight hydrogen peroxide, or diluted hydrogen peroxide, your choice, as a “pre-brush rinse”…..swish with it, spit it out, then brush your teeth without toothpaste (the peroxide will likely create a foam anyways), to kind of “brush in” the effects. Then, of course, you’ll brush with toothpaste also at some point…..don’t just stop using toothpaste! You could do the toothpaste brush first, then swish with peroxide, spit, then brush again.
I did this every day before my wedding, and people even made comments about how white my teeth were! One friend interrupted me mid-sentence and said, “sorry, but your teeth are blindingly white….what do you do to them???”
I am not sure if straight peroxide is considered safe by dentists, but honestly, it was fine for me. I remember getting oral thrush once a long time ago (it’s really painful when it hits suddenly, needed Diflucan to get rid of it) and I am 95% sure it was when I was using the Crest Whitestrips!!!!!! Yes, whitestrips hurt me more than swishing with peroxide. So at that point, is any of it completely safe? Using the straight peroxide, I had no problems. This is the stuff that you buy at the drugstore in the brown bottle, for like $1.
I also use straight peroxide in place of Sun-In on my hair. Warning: it WILL turn your hair reddish for most people, so you have to be okay with copper/red! Sometimes I get blonder effects, sometimes it’s red. Just spray it in, wet or dry hair, and then blowdry. You may want to put on medical gloves first, because peroxide can leave white spots on your skin, like if you use your fingers to comb your hair during this. But the spots fade within hours.
When you are doing any of this (crest whitestrips or just peroxide swishing)…..if you want to prevent the chance of oral thrush (yeasties in the mouth, makes gums hurt) take probiotic (aka good bacteria) capsules daily from health food store. you can even open them up, mix it with filtered water, and swish with that, to re-populate the GOOD bacteria in the mouth that the peroxide will kill. Those good bacteria prevent yeast!
My husband and I have both had positive results with using peroxide! We mix one part peroxide with one part water to use as a whitening mouth rinse. You may want to read up on whether you think it’s right for you, but I felt it was safe enough for us. 🙂
My husband and I also do this and the end results, I feel, are very comparable to any whitening strips out there! He doesn’t like the aftertaste too much, but I think it’s tolerable for a few minutes! In addition to whitening, the peroxide acts as a disinfectant, so you can forgo the mouthwash!
I haven’t tried this, but heard that peroxide will eat away the enamel on your teeth. I’ve been hesitant to try it. Does anyone else know if this is true?
Cheapest way I know is a cap full of hydrogen peroxide applied to your teeth with a q-tip nightly. I have not tried it but a family member does this.
I have had mine done both at the dentist office and Crest strips. The dentist was definitely a lot faster but then it cost a lot more. I personally think the Crest product is a good value for the dollar.
I used the white strips too and they were great.
Personally, I use the crest white strips and thought they worked great! I got significant whitening for a small amount of money, if you stack a couple of coupons they can be as low as $10 for a box, and you don’t have to keep using them after you achieve the level of whiteness you want. I have gone back after a couple of years and used them again for a little maintenance, but overall I was really happy with them. Good luck!